According to the Boston Herald, the bureau perceives the collective as a "pack of cyber vandals" which routinely attack various targets, including corporations, government websites and law enforcement networks.

"Their attacks are not sophisticated, but they are nevertheless criminal," an FBI spokesperson told the publication.

Such disparate viewpoints only serve to illustrate the growing rift between the FBI, NSA and the US Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) over Anonymous. To be sure, the FBI seems content to classify the collective as a criminal organization with limited capabilities, while the military and NSA tend to offer a more realistic assessment of the group’s strategy and potential.